Beaches in and around Palermo: where to swim

Palermo's beach par excellence: a crescent of very fine white sand about a kilometre and a half long, set between Monte Pellegrino and Monte Gallo. The water stays shallow and clear for a long way, which makes it ideal for families, and it lends itself to water sports. Wide free stretches alternate with equipped lidos offering sunbeds, umbrellas and showers. The emblem of the place is the historic Liberty-style bathhouse on stilts, a legacy of the Belle Époque, when Mondello — until the late nineteenth century a drained marsh — became the summer retreat of Palermo's bourgeoisie. Bars, seafood restaurants and street food line the whole seafront. Very crowded in high season: best early morning, late afternoon, or in the shoulder seasons, when the water takes on almost Caribbean colours.

A rugged cliff face surrounded by greenery at the foot of Monte Pellegrino, where you enter the water from flat rocks and platforms rather than sand. The access is not the easiest, but the sea makes up for it: the seabeds are full of crevices and submerged meadows, much loved by snorkellers and divers. It is an area used mainly by locals, with a few lidos and sailing clubs along the shore. Nearby open the Addaura Caves, famous for their prehistoric rock carvings. Bring water shoes and a mask, and pick a calm-sea day.

A small fishing hamlet tucked beneath Monte Pellegrino on the northern side of the city, right beside Arenella. It keeps an authentic, working-class soul well away from the tourist circuit: a snug cove where life still revolves around the fishermen's boats. Ideal for a quick, genuine swim a step away from the real Palermo. Bare-bones services, which are part of its character. A choice for those after a city seaside corner without crowds or lidos.

An old fishing village between Capo Gallo and Isola delle Femmine, now the seafood capital of the Palermo coast: people come for the rocky coves and, just as much, for the fish restaurants around the little harbour. The shoreline is a long rocky stretch with open lidos and seabeds rich in marine life, inside the Capo Gallo-Isola delle Femmine marine protected area: a snorkelling paradise. The two main spots are Baia del Corallo, with emerald-green water thanks to its posidonia meadows, and Barcarello. Don't expect stretches of sand: it is a mosaic of inlets to dive into. Lively in the evening.

A Nature Reserve covering the Monte Gallo headland, between the gulfs of Mondello and Sferracavallo. It is not a sandy beach: these are openings to the sea among stones and water-smoothed rocks, with a few small inlets, where stretching out in the sun is not exactly comfortable. In exchange, the water is crystal-clear and the snorkelling is among the best in the area. Access is on foot along trails from three entrances — two in Mondello, one in Sferracavallo — with a small entry fee of a few euros. Ideal for those wanting pristine sea and a half-day immersed in nature. Water shoes, drinking water and some shade are essential.